


Scheduling Conflicts

by minhyeokjae



Category: Big Bang (Band)
Genre: Arguing, BaeRi, Cutesy, Fluff and Angst, I love the banter with these two it's ridic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 04:12:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10070975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minhyeokjae/pseuds/minhyeokjae
Summary: Communication is key and all that jazz.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kashika](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kashika/gifts).



> My second run at this pairing. I really do hope the dialogue rolls as organically for the rest of the world as it feels like it does in my head~

“You are _never_ gonna last at that job..”

 

“But-!”

 

“Forget it. I'll figure something out. I don't need getting evicted to top off this month..”

 

Youngbae spoke in a tone Seungri knew very well. He'd heard it plenty in the time they'd known each other but it wasn't typically directed at him. Ever.

 

It was the tone uttered by a very tired, very frustrated Youngbae. One who was usually about to be completely _over_ a situation any minute. And now he was speaking to _Seungri_ in it, which was frankly a very chilling thought.

 

The younger man was frozen to the spot as Youngbae turned and grabbed a can of juice from the refrigerator before leaving the kitchen -- and Seungri -- altogether.

 

With the sound of his footsteps fading, Seungri turned around and leaned against the counter, his head in his hands. His fingers combing back through his hair he gripped at it a little, eyes wide and his breathing unsteady. Was this the beginning of the end? He’d only screwed up a couple times now and even then it wasn’t _that_ bad. Ultimately he was doing good work. But it was like everyone knew that or could see that.

  
Everyone except Youngbae, apparently.

 

No matter how much Seungri tried to reassure him he never seemed to quite accept it. It was true that money was tight lately, but they’d both expected that when they decided to move into the city and get a place together. Both of them were talented and both of them were hoping for their big break into the industry.

 

In Seungri’s opinion, Youngbae had the better chances. They could both sing and dance but he considered his hyung to be on his own level entirely. Seungri had rhythm and he could be trained but Youngbae had the sort of skills that allowed a person to just get up and break into dance just at hearing the beat of the music. Without looking like an idiot. That kind of talent deserved to be out there and recognised, which was why Seungri was more than willing to work harder.

 

It wasn’t just pulling his weight, he wanted to do more than that. He didn’t want Youngbae to have to put in as much time working when he could be practicing or finding auditions to go to. Seungri had other skills besides his own musical talent -- he was good at business. Generally. Despite his age, he had a good mind for that sort of thing.

 

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the same sort of mind for time management, which was his entire problem. Knowing he couldn’t afford to stand there much longer he grabbed his bag off the table and his keys from the hook by the door before he left.

 

* * *

  
  
Earlier that morning..

 

“Wh-.. damnit. Seriously? You have literally _one job_..”

 

Opening his eyes, Seungri was blinking sleep out of them as Youngbae’s face came into focus above him. The room was brighter than he remembered and he threw an arm over his eyes and groaned, rolling over.

 

Only he wasn’t in his bed and so he nearly ended up rolling off the couch.

 

With some scrambling, Seungri managed to catch himself but he was most definitely awake _now_. “The hell..? What time is it?”

 

“ _Late_ ,” Youngbae snapped and Seungri was aware of the worst sort of sinking feeling.

 

“Did-.. did I?”

 

“Oversleep again? Yeah, you did. You haven’t worked there that long-..”

 

“It’s fine! You don’t have to be there right at 8:30 anyway. If you come in late you can just leave a little later. Or skip lunch. Or both!”

 

“Whatever. Just-..” Youngbae shook his head and Seungri could see his jaw tighten and release a few times before his expression finally settled in a disapproving one. “Hurry up. And figure something out for dinner. I’m gonna be late tonight..”

 

“Yeah, alright..” Seungri said, crestfallen. It didn’t take much for him to feel immediately guilty in situations like these. As soon as Youngbae was no longer between him and the coffee table he started to scrape together all the papers strewn about on it, neatening them into a pile that he slid into a folder and put into his bag.

 

Taking a few seconds just to breath, Seungri slumped forward tiredly. It wasn’t just being woken up abruptly. He hadn’t intended to sleep on the couch but he’d been up late, plugging away at work so he could get ahead of the curve. He reached out, fingers brushing over the tabletop a few times before he found his phone. Which, upon pushing the button, he realised was dead.

 

Well, that explained some things.

 

The charger was in the bedroom and since passing out in the living room hadn’t been a part of the plan, he’d neglected to plug it in the night before. With a dead battery his alarms obviously couldn’t ring. Seungri got up and went quickly to charge it while he got ready, at least..

 

* * *

  


That evening, Seungri let himself in and closed the door behind himself tiredly. It hadn’t been a terribly long day but tedious work coupled with his mood had sapped what little energy he had in his reserves. Skipping lunch probably hadn’t helped either.

 

And speaking of food, there was no way in _hell_ he was going to cook now. He hung his keys up again and dropped his bag near his shoes, stepping into his slippers as he made his way further inside. He was about to head into the kitchen to the drawer where they kept all the menus for the restaurants that delivered but he stopped short in the doorway when he saw Youngbae there, sitting at the table.

 

Seungri swallowed nervously and realised his throat was dry, his heart fluttering as his anxiety kicked in at once. What should he even say?

 

“How was work?” Youngbae asked before Seungri could figure out how to begin, looking up from his cell phone’s screen. He didn’t _look_ angry but often enough Seungri doubted his ability to read the older man.

 

“Uh-.. it.. Fine. It was fine, yeah. Just a lot of busy work. More training and stuff.. that kinda thing..”

 

“Oh,” Youngbae had a thoughtful look on his face for a moment or two. Seungri let out a breath slowly and got ready to walk past him when he spoke up again.

 

“What do you mean by ‘busy work’?”

 

“Er.. I mean like I had to make up these files.. and they were super repetitive and took hours..”

 

“Ah..”

 

With that, Seungri moved fully into the room, making his way around the table -- and Youngbae -- to get at those menus.

 

“What exactly is it you _do_?”

 

Seungri paused, resting a hand lightly on the kitchen table. His fingers tapped at the surface a little before he turned around. “Why are you doing this?”

 

“Doing what?”

 

“ _This_!” Seungri said, throwing real emphasis behind the word as if that would somehow clarify the issue. When Youngbae just looked puzzled Seungri slid into the chair opposite him.

 

“You! Doing _this_! The fucking twenty questions!”

 

“Woah.. are you angry? What’s your problem?”

 

The question was so _ridiculous_ in Seungri’s mind that his train of thought was momentarily derailed. All he could do was search for what to say next as he shook his head.

 

“Do you not remember this morning? When you chewed me out about my alarm not going off? And then right before I was gonna leave you told me I’m gonna get fired and then stormed out of here all pissed off?”

 

Youngbae looked like he was going to say something, but Seungri pressed on, not wanting to lose his momentum now that he’d started. If he stopped he was worried he’d lose his nerve.

 

“If you’re gonna end it, just end it! Don’t pretend like you give a shit about what I did all day and string me along ‘cause I _really_ can’t take that right now..”

 

Across from him, Seungri watched as several different expressions played over Youngbae’s features. Surprise, confusion, _hurt_.

 

_Like he has any business feeling hurt over anything!_

 

“Okay, okay. Back up. Where the hell did you get that idea? ‘End it’?”

 

“Yeah, that’s what I said. _End it_. As in packing your shit and taking off-..”

 

“And why would I want to do that exactly?”

 

_God, but he was annoyingly calm about things sometimes!_

 

Seungri, on the other hand, was more prone to dramatics. He brought both hands down against the tabletop loudly and stood up. If he’d done it any faster the chair likely would’ve toppled over.

 

“Seriously! Why are you jerking me around?!”

 

Youngbae let out a bit of laughter, but it was the nervous sort and nothing really intended to mock. “I’m not! Seungri, what’s wrong?”

 

Shaking his head, Seungri bit his lip and looked away. He _hated_ himself sometimes for getting so worked up over things. It was shameful, especially when he started blinking more rapidly. He _was not_ going to cry.

 

“You weren’t even supposed to be here when I got back! Why are you here?!”

 

“I had an appointment but they called and pushed it back until Monday..” Youngbae’s voice was quiet and even, so completely unlike the way he’d sounded that morning. Seungri was apparently so wrapped up in thinking about it that he hadn’t heard Youngbae’s chair slide out. Or his footsteps as he moved around the table to his side.

 

He was entirely aware of it when he felt a hand cover one of his, however. Seungri pulled his away sharply, turning to face Youngbae, who looked even more confused and wounded than before.

 

“Maybe all that didn’t mean anything to you, but it did to me! I don’t go out of my way to oversleep, you know! It’s an _accident_ when it happens! And I even told you that it’s _fine_ because no one cares just so long as I’m responsible and make up for it! But then you talk to me like.. like I’m _nothing_ and then you just _leave_ and how the fuck am I supposed to feel after that? Do you even know what kind of day I had today, huh?!”

 

Youngbae looked down at the floor, kicking at the linoleum a bit. “I’m sorry. I never meant it to come across like that. I’ve been stressed out and I took it out on you. It wasn’t fair. I know that..”

 

“I would never talk to _you_ that way!”

 

“I know! And I don’t think you’re _nothing_. Just the opposite, actually..”

 

Seungri opened his mouth, ready to protest again when his brain caught up. “... Huh?”

 

Youngbae sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “There’s no easy way to just.. _inject_ it into the middle of a conversation like that..”

 

“Inject _what_?”

 

Youngbae huffed and darted forward before Seungri even realised what was going on, stumbling back in his surprise until he bumped into the counter behind him. Youngbae’s hands came down on either side of him, boxing him in so he couldn’t escape in either direction. Beyond that, they were now standing quite close together. Frowning, Seungri turned his face away and avoided looking at him.

 

“Okay, I was stressed and I told you I was sorry for taking it out on you. But you drive me crazy sometimes! You could be _really good_ at what you do and I don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity over something stupid like you overslept. That’s just a waste. It’s not even about the money. I just want to see you do well..”

 

Seungri hesitated, glancing back at Youngbae shyly now. “Wh-.. well.. I thought we were supposed to be famous together. Now you want me to work an office job..?”

 

“You can _still_ do that. We’re still going to hit up everything we can on the weekends..”

 

“And the open mic stuff during the week?”

 

“And the open mic stuff during the week, yeah. Whatever you feel up to doing..”

 

Seungri sighed and finally looked back at Youngbae again fully. “You really scared me, you know that? You used your ‘I’m totally over this shit’ voice, you know..”

 

“I wasn’t actually aware I had one of those.”

 

“Oh, you do. You _so_ do..”

 

“Huh..” Youngbae shook his head and smiled. “Well, I’m sorry I scared you. I’m definitely not ending anything and I’m definitely not over you..” He brought a hand up, mussing Seungri’s hair playfully. “Really, though. Why would you jump to that idea so quickly?”

 

“You know a lot of people quit getting along when they move in together. Especially if money’s an issue..”

 

“Money’s _always_ been an issue. You know we’ve always been a couple of broke bastards. We _talked_ about this. A lot. I knew what I was getting into with this.”

 

“But you said-..”

 

“Yeah, I remember what I said. And it was wrong. I shouldn’t have exaggerated and I’m definitely not putting everything on you. Even if you got fired we’d find a way. We managed before..”

 

“Don’t jinx it! It only happened anyway because I was trying to get extra work done..”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because. I want to do a good job too. I _want_ to take more of the responsibility. Out of the two of us you’re the one most likely to get a deal. I decided I’d be more than willing to work so you’d have more time. I just ended up falling asleep by accident and my phone would die or I didn’t set my alarm. But it’s not because I’m lazy!”

 

Youngbae smiled and gently brushed his fingers against Seungri’s cheek. “I feel like an ass for being that way when you’ve been trying so hard. For _my_ benefit, no less. But if you’re that quick to think things are bad then I’m clearly not letting you know how much I appreciate what you do often enough..”

 

Seungri leaned a little into that touch, even as a blush rose to his cheeks. “N-no.. it’s fine. You’re fine. It’s all in my head, you know..”

 

“Still. You won’t jump to conclusions like that if you feel more secure, would you? You still don’t think you’re good enough..”

 

His gaze sliding down until he was avoiding Youngbae’s again, Seungri struggled to figure out what to say to that. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement, because that had been an issue once. Or so they thought.

 

“Hey. Look at me..” A gentle but firm grip on his chin prevented Seungri from resisting, though his eyes still darted around, trying to avoid looking. Which was nearly impossible seeing as Youngbae was _right there_. There wasn’t really anywhere Seungri could look without seeing him.

 

“I want you to go in there and get ready because we’re going out.”

 

“What? _Why_ ? How? You _just_ said we’re broke!”

 

“And I can make a sacrifice somewhere if it means I can take you out..” Youngbae said, offering him a hopeful smile.

 

“I just don’t understand why you’d want to all of a sudden..”

 

“Because you have a problem believing me sometimes, so I’m going to _show_ you rather than try and talk you into it..”

 

Seungri didn’t say anything, plainly confused by what Youngbae was referring to. He was also aware that he was still holding his head in place.

 

“You’re constantly selling yourself short and making comparisons. So we’re going to go out and I’m going to point it out every time someone looks at you. Because they _do_ and they _will_. Do you know how many rotten looks I get?”

 

“Are you sure that’s not just because-..?”

 

Youngbae shook his head. “I thought that at first, but those looks are reserved for me only. There’s a lot of attractive people out there who think you could do better..”

 

“Than _you_?” Seungri looked at him in clear disbelief. “Have you seen you?”

 

“Have you seen _you_?”

 

That shut Seungri up again, his mouth hanging half open as he turned red again at the compliment. And Youngbae just grinned like he’d won something until Seungri managed to sort his words out again, speaking quietly.

 

“What if I don’t wanna go out? What if..” Seungri hesitated just a moment before he reached up and wrapped his fingers around Youngbae’s wrist, pulling his hand away from his face. “... What if I’d rather stay home, just the two of us? So I’m not tempted to tell off any jealous assholes..”

 

Youngbae snickered. “Oh? You’re going to rush to my defence?”

 

“ _Always_. You know that. I’m not gonna let _anyone_ treat you like that. And I’m definitely not going to have any fun if we go out just to watch people stare..” In a way that was oddly defiant, like he was emphasising his right to do so, Seungri leaned forward and kissed him. It was brief, but sweet, and he had the most determined look on his face when he pulled back again.

 

Youngbae smiled again and chuckled. “What’s with that look?”

 

“I’m kinda salty anyone thinks they can get off implying they could do better than you for me. They don’t know me!”

 

“They sure don’t. They’d turn right around like ‘hah, nope!’ if they did..” Youngbae said teasingly, which earned him a little shove from Seungri.

 

“Are you feeling better now?” It was somewhat ironic that he could tell Seungri was feeling more like himself because he’d started pushing, but that meant he was being more spontaneous and less wrapped up in his own head.

 

“Mm. And I’ll feel _even better_ if you cook dinner..” Seungri poked Youngbae in the centre of his chest and smiled his most innocent smile.

 

“... You can’t boil water?”

 

“I worked an eight hour day! What’d you do?!”

 

“What is this, 1950?”

 

“So you’re admitting you’re my housewife then..” Seungri grinned widely and brought his hands up like a shield. He wasn’t worried about being hit. For him, there was a worse alternative. In which case one would assume he might not push his luck and run the risk of having to be the grown man who still managed to be ticklish, but he couldn’t control himself.

 

“In that case, maybe you should cook in nothing but an apron~”

 

“You are insane..” Youngbae dipped down a little, getting his arms around Seungri’s hips and picking him up like he weighed nothing and they weren’t almost the same height.

 

Which was fair, considering how often he liked to work out. And despite Seungri’s struggling, he really wasn’t complaining.

 

“Stop! What’re you doing?” Seungri asked, sounding a bit breathless from how much he was laughing now.

 

“Cutting to the chase, since you wanna see me naked so bad..” Youngbae said, marching them right on towards the bedroom. "And later, I'll kick your ass for talking to me like you did!"

 

“Yeah but-..”

 

“No?”

 

“... This is a nice suit. You’re gonna get it all wrinkled.” He kicked his feet a little. “Lookit what you’re doing to my pants..”

 

Youngbae rolled his eyes and set him down, which was just the opportunity Seungri wanted. He looped his arms around Youngbae’s neck, holding himself close as he kissed him again. He drew this one out, a certain urgency to it. It was _eager_ and reassuring that Youngbae was happy to return it all the same while he _walked_ him back into the room.

 

And the best part?

 

Tomorrow was Saturday.


End file.
